Reviews by mmcave:

Purchased at Sams chilled and poured into a nonic. One finger off white gray-ish head developed and dissipates into little more than a film. Body is dark blackish brown almost completely opaque. Smells is strong coriander, I get a sort of berry yogurt smell which is strange, not completely unpleasing, but very different. The malt is there just masked heavily by prune juice smell. Taste is similar with that prune juice character and dark malt undertones. As this brew warms the toasted malt with tiny hints of coffee and chocolate can be spotted, but on the finish its straight prune juice again. The abv is fine and the mouth feel is decent, just slightly watery for a wee heavy, but it leaves something slightly acidic on the very back of my tongue. I really want to like this, but I just cant get past the strange fruit. Maybe its my tongue or a bad bottle, but as it is this beer is just not for me Ill stick to my dirty bastard.

S - I'm honestly not fully sure what to make of the scent. It appears to have a fairly robust aroma with a quite overwhelming scent of booze. It reminds me of Jack Daniels mixed with dominantly malts as well as dark fruit notes. Honestly, the aroma appears to be dominated by boozy scents more than anything. Very unique aroma.

T - It's a great tasting beer but nothing more. It almost feels like the beer is water-downed in flavor/ is lacking something that you'd expect given the fullness of how the body feels. Hops? Ha. None. Tastes like straight malts with hints of coffee, maybe? but not much else. Boozy flavors slightly present.

M - Very full bodied beer with the proper amount of carbonation. Drinks incredibly smooth; feels like sipping on hot cocoa -- wouldn't mind this as a cocoa substitute during the winter.

O - Great beer overall though it felt like I was drinking a weak bourbon. Very drinkable and amazing mouthfeel but I can't really decipher much from the taste.

Molasses and booze, like a White Russian. I am not familiar with this style, but I suspect Traquair Jacobite is probably a great reference beer for Scotch Ales. Plus the name reminds me of Jaqen H'quar, which is probably why I bought it in the first place.

Poured a deep ruby color with slight head,aroma was very malty and chocolaty with an alcohol tinge in there.Very caramelly taste with some dried fruit in the background,nice and sweet.Just an all around good very well made beer.Really like to drink rich,hearty ales like this.

A dark brown/mohagany pour with minmal head. The nose is lovely and highlighted by dark roasted malts and complex spiciness. The taste is superb, again roasted malts and plenty of nice spice....cinamon, nutmeg, maybe some corriander. A semi sweetness of molasses and brown sugar is present as well. A touch of unsweetened, chalky chocolate. The mouthfeel is very smooth and the finish leans towards the dry side. A nice spicey finish that lingers adequately. Great beer!

Appearance  The body of this ale is almost pure black. The head is rather smallish but showed good retention. It looks more like a heavy Stout than a Scotch Ale.

Smell  This one has a big, roasty malt base thats laden with chocolate. The yeasty nature of the malt gives this one almost a chocolate cookie kind of aroma up front. If you sit for a while youll get a plethora of fruits.

Taste  The big, dark malts from the nose make it right to the tongue. The fruits are much more distinguishable at the taste as well. They are juicy and very sweet like oranges, mangos, and star fruit. The ABV is light. Overall the flavor profile is just brilliant

Mouthfeel  Theres no expectation of carbonation here. This brew is smooth and creamy beyond reproach. This is THE striking characteristic that I first noticed at the taste.

Drinkability  This ale was brewed with drinkability in mind. Its big and complex but goes down like silk. Its a bit different than other examples of the style that Ive had, though, so go into this one with an open mind. Any way you cut it, this is one tasty brew.

Update: I updated my review of the 2003 after sampling a newer bottle in 2004. Regardless of the year, this is an excellent ale.

A: Dark brown, clear, with a ruby tint when held to the light. Virtually no head or lacing.

S: Malty, with an anise or black licorice whiff that combines interestingly with a light hop aroma.

T: Wow! The complexity in this is hard to describe. There are some darker chocolate malts mixing with very smooth black licorice flavors, ending with the perfect balance of hop bittering. The finish is as even as the taste, leaving you with a nice licorice linger. Very good!

M&D: Heavier mouthfeel gives the impression of something along the lines of porter but the flavors keep things light and lively. The carbonation is rather light but the tiny bubbles are persistent through the experience allowing for a fantastic experience. I personally like the anise flavors and think this is an awesome brew. If you aren't a fan of black licorice, you might take this as under consideration.

A 330ml bottle poured into a pint glass. Dark brown beer with red highlights; small head. It had a perfumy and spicy aroma. The taste was almost all coriander that lingered forever. It became more warming as the beer warmed. A little thin in the mouth, and not altogether pleasant.

16.9oz bottle, no date. Pours clear reddish-amber with a medium sized tan head. Smells of cherry, oak, caramel and dark fruit. The taste follows closely with cherry, dark fruit, oak, and faint cilantro (coriander) in the aftertaste. Moderately dry and slightly bitter. Below average body and average carbonation. Overall, it's a well crafted beer, but needs less cherry and more caramel and malt backbone.

Poured an extremely dark, rich, ruby color with a nice head that lingered on and left beautiful lacing along the glassware after each sip. Smelled of fruity/berry heaven! Like fresh, wild blueberries. Malt is also present in the aroma and maybe a hint of sticky caramel toffee and bubble gum. Smells like candy. Taste is of caramel malty goodness with berries galore, probably from the coriander, ripe dark fruits, light hop bitterness. Alcohol is extremely well-hidden, although this bottle is probably aged a tad. Very refreshing. This would serve good as an apertif beer. It's very juicy. Mouthfeel is thick velvety with perfect carbonation. This here is a winner although I couldnt have too many because of the sweetness. It's like beer candy.

Smell: A blend of coriander and citric peel, light molasses and coffee also. Hint of alcohol in the nose with a faint whiff of anise ... toasted graham crackers? A fitting smell from this brew to warm me up from a long chilly November day.

Taste: Close to silky smooth though with the big chewy malt mouth feel it seems almost creamy in the mouth. Mouthful of coriander, touch of molasses and anise &#8230; spiced molasses cookie flavour. Roasted tastes chocolate and coffee are hand in hand with a subdued fruitiness of ripe dried prunes and dates plus a backdrop of warming alcohol brings this brew to the next level of complexity. Hops play a small part and are barely noticeable though still manage to show a little bitterness. Finish goes more and more towards a chocolate flavour.

Notes: A bitter-sweet brew, the coriander is kept in check by the roasted chocolate malt flavours. Any hardcore beer geek would be a fool to pass by this one &#8230; go ahead give it a try. Must be served at cellar temp, an easy pairing with a creamy and mild Danish Blue cheese or even match it up with a chocolate dessert. I have seen this brew for around $5-7 &#8230; it was worth the splurge.

11.2 oz bottle with "best before June 2011" on the label. Pours a very dark brown, clear mahogany with garnet tints when held to a strong light. Beautiful tan head is tightly knit, and retains well. Interesting sheets of lace appear to be glued to the side of the glass.

Aroma begins with a Belgianesque spicy coriander and malt. I almost expected fruity banana to come forth, but it was smoky peat and molasses, instead, that followed up the spiciness.

Spicy coriander and anise lead a spicy beginning to the taste that is almost tart in character. Toffee and molasses emerge into a featured role as this nears room temperature. Anise, peaty smoke, and toffee add to a complex character. Leather and a mild tobacco note are present near the finish. A bitter, spruce type, hop presence provides a nice, balancing, bitterness. Alcohol was picked up in the nose, but not in the taste.

A fine Scottish ale here. The use of coriander gives this a unique flavor for an ale from the UK. I'm curious to know how this ages.

The beer pours a dark brown color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the toffee with some dark fruit and some peat malt. The flavor is very similar. I get a lot of peat malt, dark cherries, toffee, light smoke and some alcohol. I also get a little bit of clove and black pepper notes. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very nice Scotch Ale. Glad I got to try this one.

Bottle picked up as part of the LCBO's winter release. Poured into a nonic.

A very deep tawny chestnut brown, very dark, leaving a thin head that recedes into a fine ring.

Nose is all sweet malty goodness, with some notes of caramel, molasses, earth and dark fruit (grapes, figs and cherries).

Tastes very nice, a rich malty profile with notes of alcohol (sherry), grape, caramel, molasses, toffee, all with a touch of peat/leather. Really hitting the spot on a cold winters day. Reminds me of a doppelbock I had recently.

Mouthfeel is thick and robust, with mild carbonation, again reminding me of a doppelbock. Carbonation is enough to for me to slog through.

A sweet, boozy, flavorful ale with enough to distinguish it as a Scottish strong ale. A perfect winter drinker, well worth a pickup.

Pours dark brown with reddish highlights and a short tan head that quickly turns into a ring of bubbles. Prunes, sugar, molasses, and coriander in the nose. Earthy malt with the same dark fruits, spice, and caramel dominate the taste. Hints of butterscotch, pepper, cinnamon, and herbs. Very different beer, almost like an aperitif.

Dark, with a thin white head, reminds me of the black lager I just brewed...but I have a feeling this will trump it.

The nose is dark and brooding, but not in a cloying way, it has a light freshness to it that makes it very enjoyable. I primarily smell licorice, caramel, molasses and vanilla as well as prunes and hints of ashtray (minor...not a flaw but rather accentuating complexity).

Full-bodied, with a silky creaminess and slightly funky, sour, dry fruit and dry on the finish. Again, the malts are not overpowering, just like a good wine has enough acidity, this beer has enough dryness to stand up to a hearty meal.